Filling in the Map: Object-Based Image Analysis and Its Potential for Shell Ring Identification on Hilton Head Island, SC

Summary

As a resource, the archaeological record is finite and remains largely incomplete. Within the context of Southeastern American archaeology, the incompleteness of the record can be seen in the study of shell rings. Many unidentified shell rings exist in the archaeological record, and their detection remains difficult – even with remote sensing techniques – due to the fact that many are located under heavily forested canopies. However, with the use of object-based image analysis (OBIA), such archaeological features can be rediscovered. Utilizing LiDAR data and a method known as "template matching," this study creates elevation and shape profiles to search for previously unknown shell mound sites throughout Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. This method has been successfully applied for similar purposes in other regions of the world, but has not been tested in the American Southeast. As such, this research offers a new means by which shell mounds and shell rings can be identified and further studied. Furthermore, this new method has the potential to be implemented worldwide for various archaeological purposes, including that of site and feature identification.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 18852